16 DAY 273

TINY DANCER

30 x wide stance air squat(I have a very narrow squat. My inner thigh muscles are underdeveloped. I had trouble pushing my legs outward at the bottom of the squat.)

Strength​One Arm Dumbbell Strict Press3 x 8 x 40/arm(The exercise was a breeze for my right arm and shoulder. I had a tough time with the movement with my left counterpart. For the left arm, I divided the set into singles and doubles. The goal was to press the weight overhead with just the arm and without throwing my whole body into the movement at the same time.)

16 DAY 272

BLUE MOON

It was 6:00. I was contemplating to whether or not go to the gym. Then it was 6:30. I decided to go home. As I was about to leave, my co-worker texted me asking if I wanted to hang out. We grabbed a drink at Pennsy.

I love Fall.

★ / 57.44

16 DAY 271

"I AM TOLD YOU DO NOT HEAL FROM THIS."

Warm UpWalk + run (3:00 + 7:00)(I walked at a 3.5 mph pace. I ran at a 8.5 mph pace.)

Mobility(?)3 x 10 x 5/arm(I tried out this exercise I came across on Instagram posted by a physical therapist on correcting shoulder tightness.)

StrengthDumbbell Overhead Walking Lunge3 x 8/leg x 30/arm(My back was hyperextending. I noticed it. I sent a message to my back to correct it. It felt like trying to wiggle your index toe. Just your index toe. Try it. You cannot wiggle just your index toe. And my back would not fix itself. There is a link between my left shoulder and the rest of my body. Raising my left arm pulls the rest of my body forward and upward, excessively arching my back. I desperately need to disassociate this link.)

Conditioning0.5-mile run (on the treadmill at 5:56 min/mi pace)100 decline sit up0.5-mile run (on the treadmill at 5:56 min/mi pace)(I did not time myself. My phone was out of battery.)

★ / 18 / 46

16 DAY 269

STAR BOY

The rents surprised me in the City today. We went out for dinner and ate too much.

★ / 57.44

16 DAY 268

HOW TO MUSCLE UP

I attended my CrossFit gym's "How to Muscle Up" class this afternoon. I did not successfully complete a muscle up. I was able to complete a strict chest-to-ring pull-up. I know I can complete a ring dip once I am over the ring. But there I was, stuck at the transition point.

★ / 18 / 46 / 57.44

16 DAY 267

FIGHT GONE BAD

Hell broke loose at work this Friday.

★

FIGHT GONE WORSE

Warm UpA short run around the block.A selection of warm up exercises with a 12-kilogram kettlebell.

Alternate a set of strict press with a set of muscle clean, push jerk, and clean grip overhead squat complex. Complete 5 rounds in 15:00.(Strict press was tough. Muscle clean was easy. Push jerk was tough. Clean grip overhead squat was outright impossible. My forms for the strict press, the push jerk, and the clean grip overhead squat were very poor. For the strict press, I was hyperextending my back. For both the push jerk and the clean grip overhead squat, I had trouble sending my hip backward. I did not complete 4 reps of clean grip overhead squat on every round. Lastly, I was jealous of classmates' shoulder mobility.)

ConditioningE2MO2M2 x power clean2 x push jerk4 x front racked reverse lunge (2/leg)Use 115-pound weight. Complete 8 rounds.(I used 95-pound weight for the workout. Prior to the start of class, I had planned to use the Rx weight for the metcon. Feeling a little defeated after the strength portion of the workout, where I performed poorly, I decided to scale down. Plus, my push jerk form sucks. I should be focusing more on control and technique. The 95-pound weight felt rather light. I finished each round in under 30 seconds.)

One Arm Dumbbell Strict Press5 x 5 x 40/armAlternate a set of bench press with a set of one arm dumbbell strict press. Complete 1 superset every 4 minutes.

Sumo Deadlift High Pull8 x 65 / 8 x 75 / 8 x 85 / 8 x 95 / 8 x 95

Conditioning IRun 0.5-miles (on the treadmill at 5:56 min/mi pace)Farmer's carry (with 2 45-pound plates. Walk from the second floor of gym down to the first floor. Walk from the first floor of the gym back up to the second floor. Complete 5 trips.)Run 0.5-miles (on the treadmill at 5:56 min/mi pace)Farmer's carry (with 2 45-pound plates. Walk from the second floor of gym down to the first floor. Walk from the first floor of the gym back up to the second floor. This time, take 2 steps at a time. Complete 4 trips.)Run 0.5-miles (on the treadmill at 5:56min/mi pace)Farmer's carry (with 2 45-pound plates. Walk from the second floor of gym down to the first floor. Walk from the first floor of the gym back up to the second floor. Complete 3 trips.)

JUST A LITTLE BIT OF LOVE

A suitcase and about 10 steps to the bottom of the staircase. I offered to help.

(42 / 1,000,000)

80

16 DAY 259

ORAL FIXATION

Warm UpWalk for 2 minutes on the treadmill at 3.5 mph pace. Start running at the end of the second minute at 6 mph. Increase the speed by 1 mph every 2 minutes. Increase speed by another 1 mph at the ninth minute. Finish the 10-minute run at 10 mph.

MobilityPractice dumbbell overhead squat with both arms and just one arm with lightweight dumbbells.(I used 5-pound and 7.5-pound dumbbells for the exercise. At the bottom of my squat, my arm tilted forward. I had a hard time maintaining the dumbbells behind my head and aligned with my feet. My shoulders were incredibly tight, especially the left shoulder. In short, I have poor shoulder mobility. For my left shoulder, just raising my arm, without any weights, with a locked elbow and keeping that straight arm close to my ear was difficult. An exercise as simple as this had my arm shaking uncontrollably.

StrengthChest Flies (on some machine, but it is probably not the machine you are thinking of)1 x 8 x 15/arm / 4 x 8 x 20/arm

ConditioningAMRAP (20:00)10 x push-up10 x decline sit-up10 x pistol squat (5/leg)(I completed 8+18 round. I should cut back on pistol squats. I think they are hurting my ankles and knees. Lately, I have been feeling some, minor discomforts in my right ankle and both of my knees. I am paranoid about the source of these discomforts. Today, as I was cycling through the pistol squats, each time during the ascent from the bottom of the squat, my knee derailed from its alignment with the toes. I am sure that is detrimental to something. After that realization, I slowed down the movement to focus less on speed and more on control and technique.)

★ / 18 / 46

16 DAY 258

ONE MISSING PIECE

Warm UpComplete a mock cycle of the WOD. Work 35 seconds at each station.

Presently, I am experiencing minor but noticeable discomfort and tightness in my lower back. I am not sure if it is normal to feel this way after a squat workout. I am not sure where I made an error, if I made an error in my movement. I would like to film myself squatting. I would also like to own a lifting belt and a pair of knee sleeves.)

ConditioningPartner A completes 21 wallballsPartner B completes max effort burpees within the time Partner A completes his/her set of 21 wallballsPartner A completes 15 wallballsPartner B completes max effort burpees within the time Partner A completes his/her set of 15 wallballsPartner A completes 9 wallballsPartner B completes max effort burpees within the time Partner A completes his/her set of 9 wallballsScore is the number of burpees completed. The partner who completes the most burpees wins.(I completed 22 burpees total.)

★ / 9 / 12 / 18 / 46

16 DAY 255

THE FINEST HOURS

Warm UpRun from the apartment to the gym.(I live in the Lower East Side, bordering Chinatown. My gym is located near Penn Station. Nike+ was not working today. All in all, it was about a 4-mile run.)

StrengthBench Press5 x 5 x 130

One Arm Dumbbell Strict Press5 x 5 x 40/arm

Alternate a set of bench press with a set of one arm dumbbell strict press. Complete 1 superset every 4 minutes.

I told my coach that I had been insecure with my form since a recent injury. Her face immediately turned serious. I asked my coach if she could watch me while I snatch and let me know if my form looked okay. She observed and said that my form looked fine.

I was not then and I am not now blaming anyone for my injury. Injuries happen to the best of the best. Jonne Koski, a multiple times CrossFit Games athlete, withdrew from the 2016 CrossFit Game from a bulging disc, the same condition that I was diagnosed with. Her seriousness, came off to me as more of fear of trouble and less of concern, made me a little uncomfortable. I am not blaming you or any of the coaches at this gym for my injury, I wanted to say to her.

Koski recently posted a photo on Instagram announcing his return to training after weeks of rehabilitation. Two words stood out to me in the caption of his photo - movement patterns. Koski talked about correcting his movement patterns to avoid similar types of injury.

Movement patterns. I sit and walk with a rounded back. I stand with my knees bent and hips forward. I have inverted shoulders from years of improper posture. To me, these are habitual movement patterns that directly translate to lifting. I do not believe this was what Koski was referring to. However, this was what I thought of. When your back is always rounded, rounding feels flat. Thus it is difficult for me to gauge, without having an out-of-body experience, whether or not flat back is maintained. When receiving a clean in the power position, my hip is always slightly forward. Well, that is how I stand. Inverted shoulder translates to poor shoulder mobility. However it is required to externally rotate the shoulder to accurately complete an overhead squat has always been challenging me. These are just some of the examples of how the way we move translate to lifting.

My coach asked if I was feeling any pain. I said that I was not. That was a lie. I have been experiencing minor pain in the lower back since Friday morning, not from snatching, but from the thrusters from the night before. I have been reflecting since on what went wrong. I believe that the culprit was the front squat portion of a thruster. I tend to lose tightness at the bottom of my squat, something that I need to work on.)

★ / 18 / 46

16 DAY 252

I NEED A BREAK

ConditioningOmar (12:00)10-20-30 thrusters (with 95-pound weight)15-25-35 burpeesAlternate a set of thrusters with a set of burpees.(I did not complete the WOD. I scored CAP+50. Nevertheless, I was content with completing the first 10 thrusters unbroken and 45 thrusters total. My arms gave out before my legs and lungs. My back survived the workout. Items I need to work on: upper body strength and front squat, particularly backward extension of the hip and maintenance of the lumbar curve.)

★ / 18 / 46

16 DAY 251

BUTT HURT 2.0

Warm Up​A selection of dynamic warm up exercises.

ConditioningJerryRun 1 mileRow 2 milesRun 1 mile(I am really upset. It is silly that I feel this away. But, this is how I feel.

For the two 1-mile runs, this is what the coach said. Take a left upon exiting the gym. Note, our gym is located on 28th Street. Run down 6th Avenue toward 23rd Street. Make a left on 23rd Street. Run toward Broadway. Make another left on Broadway. Run toward 28th Street. Make one last left on 28th Street. Run back to the gym. The correct way to run this path the way the coach had described it is to run across 5th Avenue to Broadway, run a short distance on Broadway before cutting back across 5th Avenue to continue on Broadway. Look at a map, it is complicated.

I was the first runner to make it out of the door. I made sure that I was first. I wanted to complete this WOD first. I made a left upon leaving the gym. I ran down 6th Avenue toward 23rd Street. I made a left on 23rd Street. I ran toward Broadway. Fifth Avenue. I ran across Fifth Avenue. I was stopped on the island between Fifth Avenue and Broadway by the evening traffic. I looked back. No one was in my sight. I anxiously waited. The second the traffic cleared, I ran across Broadway. Then, I was running adjacent to Madison Square Park. From there, I bolted down the walkway. I made my last left on 28th Street. I ran down 28th Street when I was stopped by another wave of evening traffic. I looked back. No one was in my sight. I anxiously waited for the pedestrian light to turn white. Just then, I looked up. Broadway and 28th Street. I looked back. Where did I just come from?

I anxiously shuffled through the pedestrian traffic as I made my way down 28th Street. I am not going to be the first runner to return to the gym, I thought to myself. I sprinted up the stairs. I opened the doors. There. Two of my classmates were already on the rowers. Two of the runners made it back from the run before me. But no one ran pass me.

I was frustrated, disappointed and defeated. The numbers on the rower stopped making sense. The harder I pulled, the large number ...

I was frustrated, disappointed and defeated. The numbers on the rower stopped to make sense. I was delirious. The harder I pull, the smaller the big number on the screen became. I could not make sense. I softened my pull, the number became larger. I want a larger a number. Do I want a large number. Where is the time on the rower. Where is the distance on the rower. What is that big number on the screen anyway. I want to finish this at around 8:00. Wait. I am not going to finish this in around 8:00. I

My arm was hard as rock. The two runners who finished before me had left. There weren't anyone in my sight. I felt defeated. I just kind of gave up. I was jogging at a comfortable pace. I am not going to finish first. ★

16 DAY 250

BUTT HURT

We were on 93-S, heading into Boston when a girl rear ended our car on the highway. We were on our way to the bus station. This was the second time that I was involved in an accident.​★

16 DAY 249

SAM, THE MINUTEMAN

I moved my brother back to school today. Today's weather was quintessentially perfect. The campus looked beautiful. I felt nostalgic witnessing the kiddos moving in. I miss college, even more all of the things that I did not have the courage to do while I was in college.​★

16 DAY 248

TULIP

My brother and I went out for brunch today.

★

16 DAY 247

WHO IS ON YOUR MIND?

I discovered today that my brother has excellent overhead mobility, who effortlessly completed multiple dumbbell overhead squats with two 20-pound dumbbells, while I struggled with the basic, holding two dumbbells over my head with locked elbows.)

16 DAY 245

WHAT DO YOU WANT?

ConditioningAMRAP (4:00)8 x kettlebell front squat (with two 16-kilogram kettlebells)16 x sit-up(I completed 4+2 rounds. My classmate who was working beside me completed 5+2 rounds. All these recent core intensive WODs are making me question my core strength. I was slow with the sit-ups. I was not fast with the front squats neither, one of my stronger movements.)

Rest 4:00.

AMRAP (4:00)50-feet bear crawl50-feet farmer's carry (with pinch grip and two 25-pound plates)(I completed 5+2 rounds. A length of bear crawl or farmer's carry was counted 1 rep. Bear crawls were unexpectedly tough. Two 25-pound plates were rather light for farmer's carry. On the other hand, pinch grip was slippery.)

Rest 4:00.

AMRAP (4:00)8 x pull-up16 x box jump​(I completed mere 2+4 rounds. I surprised myself tonight. I completed the first 8 pull-ups unbroken. That was the most pull-ups I had ever completed in a string. I think I even kipped or butterflied a little. The pull-ups felt light. My initial plan was to divide up the 8 reps into sets of doubles. There was a spontaneous change of plan when I did not come off of the bar after the second rep. I was scared that I was going to reach failure. On the next set, I made sure that I came off of the bar after every 2 reps. Box jumps were surprisingly difficult for me today.)